Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Ten Days and a Year

Have you ever loved the look of a post on your blog so much that you didn't want to post something else for a while? It happened to me just a week and a half ago when I published Sisters, a post with three photographs of my mom and her sister, Geraldine. I like those photos, liked seeing them together, and didn't want to see them move down the blog quite so soon as within one day of being posted. The consequence of enjoying that post a little longer was that I let this blog's anniversary, August 1, slip by without notice.

For me it's a little hard to recognize my blog's anniversary: it's almost like recognizing myself, which borders on vanity. But of course it's impossible to separate myself from the blog because it's become so much a part of me. I choose the subject matter, the photos, the post contents. More than anything, though, I hope my ancestors have become the biggest part of this blog. I hope that family members who come to look at the photos and read the posts take away with them some little (or big) memory of how they came to be here, that it's because of parents and grandparents and great-grandparents. I hope that stories of ancestors overcoming obstacles will encourage and bolster them; that some of the stories will make them laugh; and that perhaps they'll share with their own children stories from their childhood so that the stuff of family history will continue forward.

Starting and keeping up a blog during this first year has been a true education. It takes time and effort to put together posts that I believe are meaningful and that tell something about the lives, including names, dates, and locations, of our ancestors. Sometimes my time goes to blogging instead of researching. Most often I rely on research completed in the past four years for the content of posts, though I've shared some newly-found information, too. It's been a fun year. I hope there are some people who have enjoyed reading the posts. I believe there are because some of you make return visits.

Thank you, Tony and Kerry, for your kind and encouraging comments. When I first started blogging I didn't realize how important comments would be in sustaining and encouraging one to continue a sometimes challenging endeavor. So I really appreciate your comments of support.

I noticed, Kerry, as I looked at a list of gen blogs the other day how many hadn't written posts for a year or more. I guess it's a testimony to the difficulty of keeping up and the need for perseverance and support.

Congratulations for staying with it for a year and maintaining your high standards. It's just too bad that you don't live around the corner from me, because I have a cold bottle of champagne that I would love to open in celebration.

About Me

Sometimes I want to jump back in time, into the lives of my ancestors. Not to stay, of course -- too many modern conveniences I'd rather not do without -- but to meet them and watch their interactions with each other. Since I can't do that, I spend time learning about them and the times in which they lived. I look forward to meeting them. I've been seriously searching for my ancestors for nearly 8 years. I plan to continue indefinitely.
If you think we might have ancestors in common or you'd like to contact me for any other reason, please email me at myancestorsandme @ gmail.com.